A very early banjo & song recording, from 1891-1893, Saving Them All for Mary
by Al Reeves.

Saving Them All for Mary

Company

New Jersey Phonograph Company (?)

Cylinder #

Unknown

Category

Topical song with banjo

Title

Saving Them All for Mary

Performed by

Al Reeves

Circa

1891-1893

Announcement

"The topical song called 'Saving Them All for Mary' as sung by Al Reeves, the banjoist-comedian."

Al Reeves was a popular banjo-comedian of the 1890s whose blackface stage act,
named "Al Reeves' Famous Big Company",
was typically adorned with beautiful women (likely absent from this recording session . . .).

[Al] Reeves, "The World's Greatest Banjoist and Comedian", as he billed himself,
[. . .] was not a particularly good banjo player, but his "big finishes"
brought prolonged applause.
As it faded, he would exclaim, "Give me credit, boys."

 Jolson: The Legend Comes to Life. Herbert G. Goldman,
New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

With the stray string pluck prior to the announcement, various 'thunks',
and forward sound to the banjo, this master recording packs a lot of personality.
As with most early master cylinder recordings, this is best heard through headphones.

This recording was made on a so-called "cuff"-length cylinder.
One-half inch shorter than standard-sized cylinders,
cuff-length cylinders were common in the early 1890's.
See the June 1999 Cylinder of the Month
for another example of a cuff-length cylinder recording.

Many thanks to David Sager for his assistance with this cylinder of the month.

 This cylinder of the month is from the collection of The Library of Congress 